Taiga electric jetski maker taking off with new battery tech, app, charging

Taiga Motors, the Canadian electric jetski that is the official personal watercraft for the E1 Series of electric speedboat races, has been hard at work behind the scenes with a slew of new innovations.

Taiga was purchased last May by the company associated with Vita and Evoy electric boats and motors and the Aqua superPower marine charging network. One of the places the new owners saw a huge opportunity was in the state-of-the art Taiga manufacturing facility in Montreal. It has both assembly and automated battery production lines with a capacity to build up to 8,000 units per year. (That includes both the Orca jetskis and the electric snowmobiles that were Taiga’s first product.)

One of the first things announced after the acquisition was a new battery cooling system, which Taiga Chief of Engineering Paul Achard said was possible “thanks to Taiga’s vertical integration bringing advanced engineering and automated production together all under one roof.”

65% increase in continuous battery power

Using a novel approach that optimizes fluid flow across lithium-ion cell surface hotspots, the technology increases thermal transfer rates and affords better temperature uniformity within the battery pack. That enables up to a 65% increase in continuous battery power in warm weather marine environments.

Coupled with software updates, the increased cooling also enables extended peak charging rates and reduces DC Fast charging times to under 30 minutes.

Next up was a major update to the Taiga app. Built on a fully native software and hardware stack, it was already quite comprehensive and robust, with features like live encrypted GPS vehicle tracking, remote access and control, remote charging management, remote diagnostics and servicing and over-the-air update to software.
The app reflects the broadening of the audience for electric jetskis to include fleet owners like rental outlets or resorts as well as commercial operators using PWCs for light duties around ports and marinas.

In an industry first, a new user management system enables secure multi-user access coupled with custom drive modes.

App adds user management and custom drive modes

Custom drive modes allow any owner to fine tune power and acceleration. A rental operator might want to dial back both for beginners but also have other Orcas at full potential for experienced riders. Admins can control which modes are available for use on each craft at any time and allow employees to use the app with their own login credentials and assigned permissions.

On the family front it’s ideal for shared vehicles at the cottage or for families managing younger riders who might want to limit the throttle response and top speed for young beginners (or exuberant teenagers!) In every case, the owner can set and save the profiles for different riders or conditions, all from a smartphone.

“These tools put safety, customization, and convenience in our owners’ hands,” said Gabriel Bernatchez, Co-Founder & CTO at Taiga. “Our engineering teams are constantly working to enhance the ownership experience for fleet and recreational owners alike.”

One of the big advantages of Taiga now being part of the Vita / Evoy /Aqua superPower family is having the world’s largest (and growing) marine charging network as a partner.

An ongoing challenge for the on-land EV industry is the ‘chicken and egg’ predicament of the vehicle and the charger and which comes first. The same holds true with electric boats and other water vessels and is especially critical for rental and fleet operators.

For many families with an electric jetski, it is not a big problem to charge overnight or with any Level 2 EV charger, but Level 3 high speed charging is critical for rental fleets, resort owners, ports and marinas who need to have their vessels out on the water as much as possible. An Orca can supercharge to 80% in about 20 minutes.

Taiga electric jetski and Aqua superPower chargers

If you think of a rental operator or resort, a fleet of jetskis with almost zero noise and zero fumes is very attractive for their customers, other guests and neighbours. With the much lower ongoing costs of electric versus ICE  propulsion it looks even better. But the cost of charger installation and inexperience with operation and maintenance can be a sticking point.

Aqua superPower has a solution that helps take away those barriers, a unique fully funded solution – with no cost to the fleet owner – where they future-proof and manage the installation as well as take care of the maintenance and operation.

Sam Bruneau, Taiga Co-Founder & CEO, says scalable infrastructure is key to unlocking the full potential of electrification and Aqua’s CEO Karen Gill notes that infrastructure must often lead the way. Bruneau says “By joining forces, Taiga and Aqua are accelerating both sides of the equation, making it easy for fleets and individuals to go electric—especially in high-volume use cases where the sustainability impact is multiplied.”

With the new technology and combined vessel/charger strategy, Taiga is better positioned than ever to break through in the electric PWC market for both commercial and recreational users.

Taiga  Aqua superPower  Evoy  Vita